Palmyra man accused of raping 8-year-old girl

Palmyra man accused of raping 8-year-old girl

PALYMRA — Police have accused a 29-year-old Palmyra man of raping an 8-year-old girl in his home, according to a criminal complaint.

Javier Ortega, of North Railroad Street, is charged with Rape of a Child, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse With a Child, Aggravated Indecent Assault of a Child, Corruption of Minors, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Indecent Assault, Indecent Exposure, and Intimidation of a Victim or Witness, according to Palmyra Police.

Police began investigating in February, when they were alerted by Lebanon County Children and Youth Services. The victim told investigators that Ortega forced her to perform oral sex on him and attempted to have intercourse with her on several occasions. He also made the victim manually stimulate him, the police say.

Ortega was interviewed by police on March 1, and denied the allegations. While he said he did not know what was in the report, he told police he “didn’t do any of that.”

When asked if he felt the victim was lying, Ortega told police, “I don’t know. I’m not saying that she lied,” according to the criminal complaint. Ortega denied that he forced the victim to perform oral sex on him.